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If your kids love pasta, it’s easy to make the same old buttered noodles every night. Change it up with my Roasted Broccoli and Bacon Penne Pasta Salad! Kids love this salad, which is served warm, with my delicious Homemade Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce. To make this family-friendly pasta dish, first bake your broccoli and bacon in the oven until crisp. Then, boil whole wheat penne and mix the bacon, broccoli, and alfredo sauce all together. My kids love this Roasted Broccoli and Bacon Penne Pasta Salad and I know you will too!
Recipes Similar to Roasted Broccoli and Bacon Penne Pasta Salad:
Chicken Alfredo Casserole with Bacon
Healthy Chicken Primavera Recipe
What Are the Health Benefits of Broccoli?
Broccoli is a healthy vegetable that is very nutritious and popular with kids. It is a great source of vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, and protein. Broccoli is one of the most vitamin-rich foods, lowering cholesterol and reducing inflammation. This green stalk is perfect as a side dish, a snack, or even mixed in with your smoothies. Do not miss out on all the wonderful health benefits of broccoli, especially if your kids enjoy it!
Broccoli is one of my all-time favorite vegetables. For more recipes with broccoli, try my Healthy Baked Broccoli Tots!
Ingredients in Roasted Broccoli and Bacon Pasta Salad
- whole wheat penne pasta
- fresh broccoli florets
- bacon
- roasted red peppers
- Homemade Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
How to Make Roasted Broccoli and Bacon Penne Pasta Salad
Preheat the oven to 375° F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spread the broccoli in an even layer and dry roast for 15 minutes.
Set the cooked broccoli aside and save the foiled baking sheet. Turn the oven up to 400° F.
Place a cooling rack on top of the foil and lay the bacon strips on the rack, and bake for 10-15 minutes, until desired crispness.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente.
Drain the pasta, reserving ¼ cup to ½ cup of the cooking water. Place the drained pasta back into the pot it was cooked in and add the cooked broccoli, red peppers, sauce and bacon. Stir to evenly combine.
If the sauce needs to be thinned at all, add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to the pan, and stir.
Roasted Broccoli and Bacon Penne Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 10 oz. whole wheat penne pasta, dry
- 4 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 1 large head)
- 4 slices low-sodium pork bacon
- 1 12-oz. jar roasted red peppers in water, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups Healthy Cauliflower Alfredo
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spread the broccoli in an even layer and dry roast for 15 minutes.
- Set the cooked broccoli aside and save the foiled baking sheet. Turn the oven up to 400° F.
- Place a cooling rack on top of the foil and lay the bacon strips on the rack, and bake for 10-15 minutes, until desired crispness.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente.
- Drain the pasta, reserving ¼ cup to ½ cup of the cooking water. Place the drained pasta back into the pot it was cooked in and add the cooked broccoli, red peppers, sauce and bacon. Stir to evenly combine.
- If the sauce needs to be thinned at all, add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to the pan, and stir.
Notes
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